Platform welt



Sept. 7, 1965 F. L. SHEA 3,204,350

PLATFORM WELT Filed June 17, 1964 FIG. 2 29 26 28 FIG. 3

F [6. 4 F IG. 5

38\ INVENTOR.

0 m Fin/70s L. (View FIG km QQMQL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,204,350 PLATFORM WELT Francis L. Shea, Wollaston, Mass., assignor to Barbour Welting Company, Inc., Brockton, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed June 17, 1964, Ser. No. 375,842 6 Claims. (CI. 36-78) This invention relates to a shoe welt and particularly to a platform welt.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved grain leather platform welt which may be economically manufactured and which is characterized by structure presenting a continuous grain leather surface around the top, marginal edge and bottom surface of the welt extension so as to be capable of taking a high polish to present a substantially uniform and attractive appearance in the finished shoe.

The invention has for a further object to provide a novel and improved method of making a platform welt of the character specified.

With these general objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the platform welt and the method of making the same as hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a grain leather fillet from which the present platform welt is produced;

FIGS. 2 to 6 are perspective views illustrating the steps of cutting and folding the fillet to produce the present platform welt; and

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the completed platform welt.

In general the present invention contemplates a novel and improved shoe welting and method of making the same from a. unitary grain leather fillet. Preferably, the invention contemplates a relatively thick platform welt wherein integral portions of the fillet are folded one upon the other, and an integral grain leather cover flap is wrapped about the edge of the welt to provide a continuous grain leather surface around the top, side and bottom of the welt extension. Theinvention further enables the present platform welt to be manufactured in a manner which results in a substantial saving in leather over the amount required to construct prior similar welting of which I am aware.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents a rectangular fillet of leather about 7 wide and A" thick having a top grain surface 12 and a bottom flesh surface 14. The first step in producing the present platform welt is to make an incision in a flesh edge 16 a short distance, approximately below and parallel to the grain surface extended along a line 18, terminating at a point about /2" from the edge 16 of the fillet, the incision then turning downwardly at right angles to the line 18 along a short line 20, terminating a short distance, approximately above the flesh surface 14 as shown in FIG. 2. These incisions provide a grain section 21; a relatively thin grain flap portion 22 hinged at 24; and a flesh section 26 hinged at 28.

The next step in producing the present shoe welt is to fold the flesh section 26 downwardly and inwardly on its hinge 28 through 180 to present the section 26 against the flesh surface 14 of the underside of the grain section 21, thus providing an integral two-part portion comprising the sections 21 and 26 which may be cemented together as shown in FIG. 3. It will be observed that this folding operation leaves a flesh portion 29 extending beyond the opposite flesh edge 31 of the fillet. The

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relatively thin grain flap portion 22 is then folded downwardly on its hinge 24 and cemented against the edge or vertical side wall of the two-part section 21, 26 and against the underside of the'section 26, thus providing a relatively thick platform welt extension, indicated by the numeral 30, having a grain surface around the top, side edge and bottom. The extended portion 29 is now removed by cutting the flesh section 26 substantially flush with the edge 31 of the fillet as shown in FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the inseam flange of the platform welt is formed by making an incision in the top grain surface 1-2 at a point spaced about /8" from the edge 31 along a line 32 extending downwardly for a relatively short distance, about and then angularly along a line 34 extending from the end of the line 32 to a point 36 in the edge 31 spaced a short distance, about above the bottom surface of the section 21. A portion 39 is thus cut and removed from the grain section 21 to provide an inseam flange 38. The overall dimensions of the platform welt thus produced will be in width and A" in height. The platform welt may then be molded and provided with a stitching groove 40 in its underside as illustrated.

From the above description it will be seen that the present platform welt provides a sturdy and eflicient welt of substantial thickness and presenting a full grain surface about the top, side wall and bottom of the welt extension capable of receiving a high polish. A durable and attractive welt is thus produced in a relatively simple and economical manner with a substantial saving of leather as compared with prior similar welting.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be under-v 1. A leather shoe welt having a welt extension along one marginal edge and an inseam flange along the other marginal edge comprising a two-part welt having an upper grain portion and a lower flesh portion one above the other and hingedly connected together adjacent the welt extension edge, and a grain flap hingedly connected to said upper portion and extending around the side edge and bottom surface of the welt extension to provide a continuous grain surface extending along the top, edge and bottom of the welt extension.

2. A leather shoe welt having a Welt extension along one marginal edge and an inseam flange along the other marginal edge comprising a two-part welt having an upper grain portion and a lower flesh portion one above the other hingedly connected together adjacent the welt extension edge, and a grain flap hingedly connected to said upper portion and extending around the side edge and bottom surface of the welt extension to provide a continuous grain surface extending along the top, edge and bottom of the welt extension, said inseam flange defined by a line extending angularly and upwardly from the inseam edge of said upper portion for a short distance and then vertically upward to the upper surface of said upper portion.

3. A leather shoe welt as defined in cliam 2 wherein the marginal edge of the free end of said flap terminates short of the marginal edge defining the inseam flange.

4. A leather shoe welt as defined in claim 2 wherein the bottom surface of the welt is provided with a stitching groove.

5. A leather shoe welt as defined in claim 2 wherein the upper and lower portions are secured together by cement, and wherein the flap is cemented to the side edge and bottom surface of the welt extension.

6. A pla-bformwel-t made from a grain leather fillet and having a welt extension along one margin-a1 edge, an inseam flange along the other marginal edge, and an integral grain cover flap, said fillet being hinged and folded upon itself to provide a relatively thick twoapa-rt structure having an upper grain part and a lower flesh part and adhesively secured together, said grain cover flap hinged cured to the marginal edge and bottom surface of the References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,007,185 11/61 Greene 12146 3,078,601 2/63 Shea 3678 3,103,024 9/63 Greene 12-146 3,113,388 12/63 Rubico 3678 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

welt extension to provide a continuous grain surface 10 FRANK I. COHEN, Examiner.

along the top, edge and bottom of said welt extension. 

1. A LEATHER SHOE WELT HAVING A WELT EXTENSION ALONG ONE MARGINAL EDGE AND AN INSEAM FLANGE ALONG THE OTHER MARGINAL EDGE COMPRISING A TWO-PART WELT HAVING AN UPPER GRAIN PORTION AND A LOWER FLESH PORTION ONE ABOVE THE OTHER AND HINGEDLY CONNECTED TOGETHER ADJACENT THE WELT EXTENSION EDGE, AND A GRAIN FLAP HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID UPPER PORTION AND EXTENDING AROUND THE SIDE EDGE AND BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE WELT EXTENSION TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS GRAIN SURFACE EXTENDING ALONG THE TOP, EDGE AND BOTTOM OF THE WELT EXTENSION. 